Introducing Fitness Friday!

April 25, 2014

Happy Fitness Friday, Beauties! As the weekend approaches, I’d like to tell you about one of my greatest loves in life; fitness. As you know I’m a fashion girl. I love dressing up, playing with accessories, and attending fancy parties. What you may not know about me, is that fitness plays a huge role in my life. I’m sporty too, and I absolutely love it.

Fitness is my “daily cup of coffee.” I depend on it every single day, and I need it in my life more than anything. I fell in love with fitness, back in college, when I realized exercising was therapeutic, and could help me sort through challenges in life. To me, fitness is mind, body, and soul. It isn’t just about the way I look, or what size I’d like to be. It is about challenging myself mentally and physically. My time at the gym is the hour or two, that I dedicate to myself, and the only time I have to be alone. I’ve felt every single emotion during my workouts. These are the moments where I celebrate my accomplishments, work through my frustrations, anger or even grief. It is also the time I allow myself to dream. I put every single emotion into my workouts; my whole heart and soul. As badly as I want to succeed in my life, is the same strength and force I use to push myself through each workout. I live for the challenge; the blood, sweat, and tears. Then there’s that very moment when you succeed, and there’s nothing quite like that feeling.

My favorite workouts are martial arts based. I love punching and kicking. I feel strong and powerful, as if nothing could stop me. In the past few years, I’ve learned to enjoy strength training and weight lifting. It’s a challenge I haven’t explored much in the past, and is fairly new to me. Every day, I feel a little stronger, which is my goal.

One of the very best moments of my life, was crossing the finish line of the Columbus Marathon in 2005. I decided to run the marathon after accepting a bet from a friend. I couldn’t run 3 miles when I accepted the challenge, and I trained myself from a few books and a bit of research. A few months later, with many miles on my feet, a half marathon, and an 18 mile race under my belt, I was ready. It was the best race of my life. It was incredible, painful, and glorious all at the same time. I remember a promise I made to myself before the race. No matter what happened, I would sprint my heart out through that finish line. I wanted to finish strong. 26.2 miles later, with my legs numb, but my mind determined, I saw my family at the very last mile. My dad chased me, all the way to the finish. That moment felt like none else. Today, I relate that exact same moment, to every single challenge I face in my life. Yes, it was a physical triumph, but the mental strength it gave me, was the biggest gift of all.

You see, your mind can push your body and your soul through just about anything. It is entirely about the way you perceive yourself, and believe in your strength to succeed. Unfortunately I don’t run much anymore, because of my weak knees, but I do put this kind of effort into absolutely everything I do, physically and mentally.

My workout look is inspired by my favorite fitness blogger, and friend Christine Bibbo Herr of NYC Pretty. She is the queen of printed pants and bright colors. If this girl doesn’t make you want to workout, I don’t know what will. She is definitely an inspiration. Christine has as a collaboration of hair ties and wrist bands, with a brand called Knotty accessories. I wear these fun hair ties around my wrist to accessorize my gym look. Check out the NYC Pretty for Knotty collaboration to find your own colorful, sporty accessories. My purple printed tights (similar style), and jacket are C9 by Champion. My sneakers are Nike Flyknit Lunar2 in Atomic Orange. I love these shoes so far. They are light weight, breathable and I can pivot easily on my feet, which helps when I’m kickboxing and need to move quickly. I’m noticing a trend in the brighter colors for workout gear. Pretty much anything goes. There are so many fun prints, colors, and textures to choose from. Pick one, or pick them all. Get creative with your sporty self!

I hope you enjoyed some of my thoughts and style advice this Fitness Friday. I’ll be adding these posts into the mix, to bring a bit of athletic inspiration into your life. I won’t give you fitness advice (I’ll leave that to the fitness experts), but I will tell you about my favorite workouts, healthy snacks, and the latest, greatest workout gear that I love. Happy Fitness Friday, Beauties! Now get out there and kick some booty.